Becoming a well-informed patient - what to ask your clinician
The following resource has been designed as a guide to help patients, their relatives and carers find out information from the treatment team about conditions and treatment options.
The questions are set out as general areas you will want to know about and in the following pages these can be expanded into more detail. The list is not intended to be viewed as comprehensive. Elements may or may not be applicable to your situation or may act as a prompt for further discussion. For clinicians we have developed a pledge to set up a mutual understanding and cooperative agreement between you, the team and the patient.
The Information Prescription for patients
Finding out what's wrong
- What does it mean for me?
- Is there anything else I should be concerned about?
- How serious is it?
- Will it get worse?
- How common is it?
- Why is this happening to me?
- Is it hereditary?
Deciding on treatment
- What are my treatment options?
- What is involved in each option?
- Will it hurt?
- How long will treatment last?
- How much does it cost?
- What happens if I choose not to have any treatment?
- What is available on the NHS?
- What can you be confident about?
- What is less certain?
- What are the risks and benefits associated with these options?
- How safe is each option?
- What are the side-effects?
- What are short and long-term risks of each option?
- Will it cure me?
- How much will it improve my quality of life?
- Which treatment would you choose? Why?
- Can I get a second opinion?
- Which treatment have other people like me chosen? Did it work for them?
- When do I need to decide?
4. How will you know if it's working? When will you know if it's working?
Choosing where to go
- Which hospitals specialise in treating my condition?
- How many patients have they treated for this condition in the past year?
- How do they compare with each other?
- How successful are their clinical outcomes (the result of treatment)?
- What do other patients like me say about them?
- What is the risk of contracting an infection in each hospital - on the ward; in the operating theatre?
- How long would I have to wait?
- Are they well-managed?
- What safeguards are in place to be sure no errors occur?
- Where would you go? Why?
Choosing who to go to
- Who specialises in treating my condition?
- How many patients have they treated for this condition in the past year?
- How do they compare with each other?
- How successful are their clinical outcomes?
- What do other patients like me say about them?
- Where do they practice?
- How long do I have to wait to see them?
- Who would you go to? Why?
Asking more about your treatment team
- Who are you?
- What should I know about you?
- What are your professional qualifications - and how are they relevant?
- Have you seen/done this before? How many times?
- How good is your care and how does it compare to others and to the best?
- What's your record of success in helping people (like me) get their lives back?
- How do your results for this kind of treatment compare with those of other doctors?
- How do your patients rate you? How do your patient ratings compare to those of other doctors?
Asking more about your care
- How often will I see them?
- How can I contact someone in between my consultations?
- Who else will be involved in my care? Is there a specialist team of both doctors and nurses? Is there 24 hour cover?
- What happens if I have a complaint or concern?
- Will you explain what the test results mean?
- Will you give me written information on my diagnosis and treatment options?
- Will you give me written information on what will happen at each stage?
- Will you copy me in on all correspondence about my care?
- Will you give me copies of my test results, copies of my charts, x ray results?
- Will you tell me what they mean?
- Will you respect my wishes on whether and how to involve my family?
- Will you respect my preferences on treatment?
About me and my life
- How is my life going to change?
- How should I prepare myself? What difference will it make?
- What can I do to help me while I'm in hospital? And after?
- What should I tell my family?
- What can my family and friends do to help me?
- What should I tell work?
- Where can I get more information?
- Who else can help me (with non-medical issues)? How will I be supported post-treatment?
- Can I talk to another patient like me?
Download a PDF version of the Information Prescription.
View a pledge for your clinician/treatment team that highlights how you will be kept informed about your condition and progress.